


Love Has Found You Another

by 1_dont_know_how_she_does_it



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/F, Mama!Bear Clarke, clarkey needs a friend, she finds one in an angsty sassy teen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-25
Updated: 2016-05-25
Packaged: 2018-06-10 14:26:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6960694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1_dont_know_how_she_does_it/pseuds/1_dont_know_how_she_does_it
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bear with me, I'm horrible at writing summaries. So let me just break it down for you. Clarke wanders into the woods searching for Luna, the last Nightblood. What she finds is much more than she bargained for.  I stopped watching after 3x07, so I am creating my own storyline that is not related to the original show. All mistakes are my own. This is my first fic... so be nice. This is not beta-read.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Itallics= trigedasleng

She tries to focus on the sound of the trees, swaying slightly in the breeze. Clarke knows she’s lost. She had to leave her horse in a small village just outside the Ice Nation. She’s already had to hide from a patrol of Ice Nation warriors. It won’t be long before she’s found, and probably killed. The walk has given her too much time to think, about Lexa, of what could have been, of what should have never happened. Her feet drag and her vision has become blurred with tears. She would give anything just to hear Lexa say her name one more time. The way she clicks the k in her name. Clarke. Clarke could the times she’d seen Lexa with her hair down on one hand. She wishes she could have seen it more.  
She almost misses it, in her Lexa Dream. But she doesn’t. She heard it. Footsteps. Clarke freezes in her tracks. Her whole body itches with the feeling of being watched. There are eyes on the back of her head and she knows it. Her hand twitches and she places it on her gun. She hates the familiarity that comes with it, the safety she feels from this act. It is too comfortable, and it’s enough to make her remove her hand. That’s all that was needed, her stalker attacks. She hears them running and before she can turn she is hit over the back of the head. The last thing she sees is the forest floor, before everything goes black.

 

When she regains consciousness, she feels dizzy, as though she is rocking back and forth, making her stomach churn. She has a splitting headache, and her vision is hazy. She soon becomes aware of the sound of hooves, and that the rocking is her placement on a horse, draped over the side of it. She groans and tries to lift her head, but once her consciousness is discovered by her captors, her sight is cut off once again as a cloth is wrapped around her eyes. She is left with nothing to do but listen to the sound of the horse moving along the dirt road, the sound of the trees in slight breeze, and the animals around her.  
After what seems like hours, voices can be heard ahead, and the sound of metal clanging and scraping greet her ears. She assumes it’s the sound of some kind of gate. She hears people conversing in Trigedasleng. She hears cries of “Wanheda!” that make her wince. She is pulled from the horse and rope is tied tightly around her wrists. She is guided forward, and the chatter becomes more indistinct. The sound dies out when Clarke is guided into a building. They pause and then Clarke hears a knock and someone reply from the other side.  
“ _Enter_.”  
She is pushed through the doorway and her blind fold is ripped off, as she is forced to her knees. Once her eyes adjust, there before her stands a young girl, reminding her of moment similar to this one. The girl can’t be older than 17, with blonde waves and brown eyes, a sharp jawline and a scar over her right eye brow. She speaks.  
_“Did she come without protest_?” She questions, her piercing eyes never leaving Clarke’s.  
“ _Sha Yong Kwin_. _It is not what you told us to expect_.” One of Clarke’s captor’s replies.  
_“It seems Wanheda has lost her will to fight_.” The girl smirks. “ _Why was she wandering around Ice Nation?”_  
“ _We are unsure. She seemed to be looking for something_.”  
Clarke can understand quite easily, in her 3 months of isolation she had to adapt, and learning Trigedasleng came with that. There is a sudden spark of realisation in the girl’s eyes.  
“ _You can understand, can’t you skai girl?”_ She smirks once again. Clarke does not reply. “ _I know you can understand, so let’s not waste our time. You admit you can understand what I have been saying and we can move on.”_  
The girl waits, and Clarke knows she will wait until Clarke admits she understands. She makes her wait a bit longer just out of spite. When she is satisfied she speaks.  
_“Sha. I can understand.”_ Clarke says through gritted teeth. The girl smirks for a moment and then chuckles. When she speaks next it is in English.  
“You are smart Sky Girl. I will admit that.” She says walking away from Clarke and towards a throne made from fishing spears and hooks, and other metal objects. In Clarke’s opinion it looks quite uncomfortable, but still the girl sits upon her throne. She looks like she was born to sit there, she looks powerful, even at her young age. She reminds her of Lexa. “Which is why I don’t understand the stupidity you have shown us today. I have heard only great things about the mighty _Wanheda_. The slayer of the Mountain, submits to none.”  
Clarke flinches at the title.  
“You don’t like it. The name the people have given you. I would imagine not, neither would I. To you it is an added weight to the deaths that pile on your shoulders. Am I wrong?”  
Clarke is surprised by this girl once again. She is incredibly observant. She was able to pick up on Clarke’s discomfort with the title only from a wince, and her knowledge of Trigedasleng by the look in her eye. Clarke shakes her head.  
“So tell me, _Klark kom Skai kru_ , why? You wandered into to Ice Nation territory with no backup, no supplies, why?”  
“I am looking for the Boat People.” Clarke states. The girl pauses. Then, to Clarke’s surprise, she laughs. Clarke does not understand the joke. Once the girl has calmed herself, she looks at Clarke, amused.  
“ _Klark kom Skai kru_ , Welcome to _Floudonkru_.” She says, spreading her arms wide. “I am Luna, Leader of the Boat Clan.”  
Clarke does not speak, not for a long time. The girl, Luna, seems to take amusement from Clarke’s shock. Clarke had wandered off into the woods, like an idiot, with no food, weapons or any idea where she was going, and she happened to be captured by the very people she was looking for. She reminds herself why she is here and then stands, and stares intently at Luna. Luna’s brown eyes follow the movement.  
“I, _Klark kom skai kru_ , am the last _fleimkipa_. _Heda Leksa_ … is dead.” She chokes on the word. Dead. Lexa is dead. She closes her eyes and tries to calm her breathing. “The _natblida_ from _Azgeda_ , Ontari, has killed all the night bloods and believes she is the chosen commander…” Clarke continues, but it is clear the young leader is no longer listening. Her eyes have turned glassy and far away.  
“Stop.” She interrupts. Clarke stops speaking. “Lying is punishable by death, especially over such things as the commander’s life.” She spits through gritted teeth. She walks over to Clarke and pulls her hand back so fast, Clarke barely has time to react, and slaps her. “So let me ask again… Why. Are. You. Here?”  
“The commander is dead and I-‘’ Clarke starts.  
“LIES!” Luna bellows. Clarke recoils. She waits a moment for the girl in front of her to step back, her fist clenched at her sides and her stance rigid.  
“It is the truth. I was there. After my people rejected the initiation into the coalition, because of a dictator who took over Arkadia. I stayed in Polis as an Ambassador, trying to create peace. Lexa believed, as well as I, that Arkadia could be spared. Titus believed I was influencing Lexa to favour my people, so… he attempted to kill me. He had one of the Sky People’s past criminals and was going to make it look like it was him, by using one of our weapons. Lexa heard the gunshots and came to my room, and she was hit by a stray bullet. I watched her die in my arms… she is dead.”  
Luna looks like she has been stabbed.  
“Leave us.” She snarls, her voice low and dangerous. Her guards all leave the room. As soon as they leave, Luna is on her, her knife at Clarke's throat and a menacing look in her eye.  
“You have one more chance. Look me in the eye and tell me it’s the truth.” She grunts.  
“It’s the truth.” Clarke chokes out, staring into Luna’s dark brown eyes. Luna leaps back and throws her knife, hard, at the wall. She turns to table to her left and swipes her hand over it, and everything clatters to the floor loudly, and then flips the table. She runs at one of the pillars either side of her throne and throws her fist back, smashing her fists against the stone, again and again. She grunts and yells. Clarke approaches the girl carefully. Clarke can see tears streaming down her face. She makes a grab for the girl’s hands but she is quicker. She grabs Clarke and pushes her hard against the wall, her hands around her throat.  
“Don’t. Touch. Me.” She growls. She throws Clarke to the floor. Without another word the girl storms from the room, leaving Clarke in a heap on the floor.  
…  
Luna’s guards find her a place to stay within the village. An empty hut right by the water. She can see people fishing off boats and off the shore, Children searching for crabs and other small animals to sell, in the shallow water. The air has a slight salty smell to it. Clarke had only ever dreamed of seeing the ocean as a child, and here she is sitting outside a hut right on the sand, in front of a body of water that seems to continue right off the edge of the Earth. She closes her eyes and breaths in the salty air, trying to calm herself.  
“ _Klark_.” a voice says from behind her. Clarke jumps to her feet, only to find Luna. Luna has on a long cloak with her hood pulled up over her hair. Her eyes are rimmed red. It confuses Clarke. Why is this girl so affected by Lexa’s death? “I would like to apologise for my behaviour in the throne room before. I should not let my emotions affect me in such a way.”  
Clarke simply nods. Luna looks uncomfortable, and for the first time Clarke has met her, she looks like a teenager. She’s embarrassed. Luna clears her throat, and just as fast as her emotions were shown, the mask was put up.  
“As a result of my behaviour, I was unable to hear the reason you were here. So please, continue.”  
“After Lexa died.” They both take a minute to calm themselves at the thought of Lexa. “The Azgeda natblida, Ontari, killed all the others, and took the throne. Titus gave me the flame, knowing that Ontari is not who Lexa would choose for the spirit of the commander, and told me that there was one more natblida, you. He made me fleimkipa and then killed himself. I ran away, and now I’m here. Begging you, to come to Polis and challenge Ontari. She is not commander. I refuse to believe Lexa would allow this.” Clarke’s eyes fill with tears. “I know you’re a night blood. Lexa told me. She told me you ran away and-‘’  
“I didn’t run... Not really.” Luna says quietly. “I didn’t want to. Lexa convinced me to go. I was only a child. Lexa would have been forced to kill me to become commander, or I kill her to become commander. I was young, I did not want it, and Lexa couldn’t kill me. So she sent me with one of her guards. I came here, and when the people discovered I was a natblida, they protected me and, as I got older, trusted me as their leader.”  
“You have to come back. If you care about the fate of your people, you’ll come back.”  
“I am not fit to be commander, I never was.” Luna sighs.  
“It’s you or Ontari.” Luna does not speak. Clarke grabs her hand. “ _Beja Luna. Beja_.” Clarke pleads. Clarke squeezes Luna’s hand, and she tries to hide her wince. Clarke looks down at her hands, and finds that the girls hands are covered in black blood, with her knuckles already bruising.  
“Here come inside I have something for this.” Clarke says, guiding Luna inside the hut. She sits her on the wooden bed. Clarke searches the cupboards for supplies and finds some salve and bandages. She fills a bowl with hot water, and grabs a cloth. She sits in front of Luna and brings the wet cloth to her hands, dabbing softly. Clarke can see the girl trying to conceal her pain.  
“How old are you?” Clarke asks, breaking the silence, trying to distract the girl from the pain.  
“I am going on 16 summers.” Luna tells her.  
“You’re 15? The people follow you at such a young age.”  
“Lexa was 16 when she became commander and people followed her.” Luna points out.  
“Yes, but she was _Heda_.”  
They are silent for a moment, and then Clarke asks the question they both know Clarke has been bursting with since this afternoon.  
“You were close with Lexa?” Clarke tries to sound nonchalant.  
“She was my sister.” Luna whispers. Clarke stops cleaning the girl’s hands and looks up at her. “We are not of the same parents, but she was my sister. Lexa was six when she found me in the woods. I was a toddler. She took me home and our mother and father searched for days for my parents, but none came forward. Lexa had already grown attached to me, and _nomon_ and _nontu_ had been trying for a child since Lexa, with no luck. So they kept me.”  
“I’m sorry, Luna. About Lexa.” Clarke says, rubbing the salve on Luna’s knuckles. “And thank you for your hospitality.” Clarke says gesturing to the hut.  
“You’re welcome Clarke.” Luna nods. “Can I ask you something?”  
Once again, Luna looks only that of a child, nervous to ask Clarke a question, and unsure of herself. Clarke can’t help but wonder if Lexa had been the same as her little sister before she was commander.  
“Yes Luna.” Clarke begins wrapping Luna’s hands carefully in bandages.  
“Did she die well?” Luna whispers. Clarke is reminded of when Lexa had asked her the same question about Anya, when they first met. This time Clarke will not be lying.  
“Yes, it was not the noble death of a commander she deserved, but yes. She died in my arms.” Clarke eyes are brimming with tears, and so are Luna’s. Luna’s mask goes up once again, and she jumps to her feet, suddenly realising where she was and who she was with.  
“I must leave. Thank you for the bandages.” And without another word she walks from the hut. Leaving Clarke alone.  
…  
Over the next few days, Clarke spends her time exploring the small city. The markets are almost as lively as in Polis. The children run through the streets barefoot and giggling happily, carrying freshly caught fish. Music is played everywhere, all the time. People dance and sing and after hours’ people drink late into the night. She spends most of her time alone, thinking of Lexa, and how she would have loved for her to show Clarke around. Clarke hasn’t seen Luna since she came to her hut the day Clarke arrived, but Clarke can’t stop thinking about her conversation with Luna. About Lexa, as a child. She wants to know more, about Lexa. About her family, things she did as a child. The only person who could possibly tell her about those things, is Luna. Clarke never thought about Lexa having family before she met Luna. Clarke just assumed they were all dead. Clarke wonders if there are more. Lexa’s mother, her father. Clarke had tried multiple times over the past few days to see Luna, only to be turned away by her guards. Clarke had also discovered that Luna’s quarters, and the place Clarke met Luna, was all inside a large ship. It was shipwrecked on the land years ago.

Inside said ship, Luna paces back and forth in her room. Orion just stands in the corner of the room, his arms crossed and watches Luna walk back and forth.  
“Luna.” He says calmly, trying to get the girls attention. _“It’s been three days.”_  
“I can’t do it. Lexa… she was always the one who- who- she-‘’ Luna stutters, but Orion interrupts.  
_“Use your words goufa. The Heda must be well spoken.”_ The big man smiles.  
“Not helping Orion.” Luna begins pacing again.  
_“You doubt yourself too much. You were born to be commander. Lexa herself chose you. If what the sky girl says is true, Lexa would never choose the Azgeda girl. She has chosen you, and her messenger has come in the form of the girl who fell from the sky.”_ Orion walks to Luna and grabs hold of her shoulders to stop her from pacing. He looks down at her, remembering when she had been only a child and barely stood to his hips, to now, the strong young woman she has become, the leader. Luna has tears in her eyes as she looks up at her protector, her friend, her mentor.  
“I can’t do it.”  
“You can, and I know you will. You knew from the minute you realised what the girl had said was true, that your sister had been killed, that you would be commander. That you would accept her invitation to Polis.”  
“Orion… I’m scared.” Luna whispers, her green eyes overflowing with tears. The girl buries her head in the man’s chest and sobs. Orion knows not to say anything. Luna would never open herself up to someone this way, besides himself. Her body quakes with sobs, and Orion lifts her as easily as when she was a child, and walks her to the bed. He seats himself in a comfortable position and Luna curls up at his side. She cries and cries, and Orion stays silent. He just strokes her blonde tresses, and rubs her back soothingly. The sobbing eventually subsides, and is replaced only by the occasional sniffle.  
“ _Leksa_ _used to write to me about her_.” Luna murmurs.  
“ _Wanheda_?” Orion replies.  
“ _Sha. Leksa was very fond of her_.” Luna sighs. “She trusted her.”  
“Then so can you.”  
“I know.”  
…  
She tries, she really does. But she just can’t bring herself to put charcoal to paper. She sits, on the beach outside her hut, and watches as the children run across the sand, her sketchbook and charcoal sitting uselessly in her lap. She has been sitting since sunrise a few hours ago, she has trouble sleeping. She flicks through her sketchbook, not really paying attention to the drawings, just for something to do with her hands. She closes her eyes and breaths in the salty air. She often does this to calm herself.  
“You are an artist.”  
Clarke jumps. She doesn’t need to turn; she knows who it is.  
“Yes Luna, I am an artist.” Clarke sighs. “You should stop doing that.”  
“Sneaking up on people?” Luna says sitting down in the sand with Clarke.  
“Yes.” There is a pause. “It’s been three days.”  
“I know.”  
Clarke waits for her to speak again, but she does not. She simply looks out at the ocean, and looks at the early morning sun. Then she reaches for Clarke’s sketchbook, she looks to Clarke, and after she nods her consent, Luna opens the book. The first picture is of the view of Polis from her bedroom. Luna flicks to the next page, a portrait.  
“My father.” Clarke tells her. Luna nods, looking thoughtfully at the drawing. Without speaking she turns the page to the next drawing: the two-headed deer. It’s one of her most though about moments since coming to Earth. Luna moves on in the book. The dropship, then Wells. Luna stops on the next sketch, running her finger carefully over the page.  
“Lexa.” Luna whispers. Clarke nods. It is of Lexa sleeping, just before she woke with a nightmare. The next page is also of Lexa. It is Lexa in full commander attire, complete with war paint, standing in front of an army. She looks beautifully strong, powerful and commanding all in the one picture. The sketch directly after it, is Lexa simply reading a book. Her hair is loose over her shoulders; her eyes focus on the words in front of her. She looks beautiful in this picture as well, but in a completely different way. The two pictures, one of Heda Leksa, Commander of the 12 clans, and the second picture, is Lexa, the intelligent, sensitive, caring soul.  
As Clarke watches this girl swallow her pain and put up her stoic mask, Clarke aches. She feels as if she is beginning again. It took a long time to convince Lexa that love was not weakness and that life is about more than just surviving, and he she is again with Luna. She can see she feels, just like Lexa, she feels so much.  
“It’s ok to mourn, you know?” Clarke whispers. Luna doesn’t look at her; she stares straight out at the ocean. “You’re so much like her.” Luna lets out a shaky breath. It is true, they look nothing alike, Lexa had intense green eyes and Luna deep, warm brown. Lexa’s brown unruly curls are nothing like Luna’s blonde waves. It is simply how Luna holds herself, the way she talks, the way she walks, everything, that likens her to her sister. “When I first met her, she was so intimidating and emotionless. She refused to admit she had emotions and that she felt pain, sadness or love.” Luna opens her mouth to speak, but Clarke beats her to it. “If you say love is weakness I think I might scream.” Luna chuckles slightly, trying not to cry.  
“She wasn’t always like that.” Luna tells her. “Before-‘’  
“Costia.” Clarke finishes. Luna brown eyes go wide. Clarke knows it’s not something Lexa shared with many people. Clarke realises that, the importance of Lexa sharing that with her. It clicks in Luna’s head suddenly, just how much Lexa trusted Clarke. If her older sister trusted Clarke so much, so can she. She remembers why she came here, and stands.  
“We leave for Polis in the morning.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're on our way children! Polis here we come. Ontari you better watch your ass, Luna's coming for ya.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is my second upload today. But i'm home sick from school, and i'm procrastinating studying for my history exam. So... here we are.

They’re only two hours into the three-day journey, and Clarke is already aching. She still isn't used to riding, especially not such a long distance. Luna is quiet and stoic as ever, staring straight ahead as they ride. Their group consists of Clarke, Luna, Orion (Orion watches Clarke like a hawk and follows Luna around like a shadow, freaks her out), and four of Luna’s guards, a young man with bright red hair and gangly limbs (Clarke thinks he looks clumsy, and is confused by his invitation to Luna’s guard), a woman with icy, piercing blue/grey eyes, and sandy blonde hair, and the twins, Erika and Elias, they’re both extremely playful, and really the only thing entertaining Clarke on the ride. The siblings joke and bicker, much to the amusement of everyone else, especially when Erika pushed Elias off his horse and into a mud puddle, when he implied he was more skilled in knife throwing.

“How do you plan on convincing Ontari to give up the throne?” Luna questions, riding up beside Clarke. Clarke chuckles slightly.

“If only it were that easy.” Clarke sighs. “I don’t plan on convincing her, I plan on challenging her. To earn the title of Heda, Ontari must kill all worthy nitblidas, and recite the lineage. She has not ticked either of those boxes. You are alive and worthy, and she cannot recite the lineage without the flame. I have the flame.”

“So  _I_   am going to challenge Ontari.” It is not a question; it is a fact. Both Clarke and Luna know she will do it. Clarke feels guilty, for dragging this child into this. She has to constantly remind herself that Luna was born for this, and she is their only hope.

“Yes.” Clarke replies solemnly. She feels for the child. She did not ask for this. She ran from this life, and here she is, being yanked back into it. Luna only nods. Clarke aches to asks about Lexa, but now is not the time. So instead they ride in comfortable silence. Luna sneaks glances at her from the corner of her eye. Clarke pretends not to notice.

“Orion. He is the guard Lexa sent with you all those years ago?” Clarke asks, her eyes not leaving the road ahead of them.

“Yes. Orion is my most loyal guard.” Luna nods.

“He’s special to you.” Clarke states.

“Yes. He’s my best friend.” Luna replies. Clarke only nods in response. There is silence once again. Clarke can just see Luna bursting with questions, about what she is unsure, but this girl is curious. "The boy from your drawing... Wells? He was your friend?"

"Yes." Clarke face grows haunted.

"What happened to him?" Luna asks quietly. Clarke's head jerks up to look at Luna. "You seemed sad when you spoke of him. You used past tense, and also you only draw the dead. Your father, _Leksa,_ and Wells."

Clarke is once again surprised by how observant she is, and just how _Leksa_ she is. Luna is exactly how Clarke imagined Lexa as a child. Intelligent, crurious, observant. Clarke finds herself wanting to know Luna better, just to feel close to Lexa.

"On the Ark, everyone knew everyone. It was lonely, and boring. Never meeting anyone new, or different. Everyone had one wish, come to the ground. All our rules were for the purpose of preparing for the ground and for sustainability." Luna listens intently. Clarke continues to look ahead. "My father was an engineer. Someone who made sure the Ark was running the way it should. My mother was a healer, and she was on the council, our government. So was Well's father, the chancellor. Our parents were close, so so were Wells and I. We did everything together. My father discovered the Ark was running out of oxygen and he planned to go public with the information. He believed the people deserved to know. Everything on the Ark was punishable by death if you were over the age of 18."

If Luna is disgusted or shocked by that information, she hides it well. She seems fascinated by the very thought of living in the sky.

"I told Wells about the oxygen shortage. The next day my father was floated."

"Floated?"

"Killed." Clarke clarifies. Luna looks thoughtful and saddened for a moment and then she schools her expression. "You are realeased into space without any protective suit, you die instantly."

"Wells told his father." Luna says.

"That's what i thought." Luna looks confused, but she does not interrupt. She lets Clarke finish the story. "I was in arrested, and put in isolation."

"Why? I thought you said ever-''

"I was 16. If you committed a crime under the age of 18, you were imprisoned and when you turned 18 they would reveiw your case and decide if you should be floated. I knew about the oxygen shortages, and i threatened to go public as well. So they took me away. I knew there was no way they would let me go when i turned 18. I accepted i would die."

"But you didn't."

"Well obviously." Clarke smirks. She swear she sees the corners of Luna's lips twitch slightly. "The council needed more time, time they didn't have, to repair the Ark. That would mean having to get rid of people to reduse the oxygen being used. So the solution: send one hundred delinquent children to the ground as an 'experiment' to see if Earth was survivable. Wells got himself arrested so he could come with me. I hated him. I was awful, but he continued to follow me, stick up for me and protect me. I realised, eventually, it wasn't him who sold out my father. He was killed hours later, by a girl who hated his father and couldn't kill him so turned to Wells instead." 

"Who told the Chancellor about your father?"

"My mother."

...

They make camp at nightfall. Elias sets up a tent for Clarke, and winks charmingly at her, with his boyish grin. She thanks him and walks into the woods, in hope of finding food. She finds a rabbit not long after leaving camp, and pulls her knife from her belt. She steps forward carefully. The rabbit hears her footfall and scampers further into the woods.

"You walk too loud." Luna's voice scolds from behind her. Clarke tries not to remember the times Lexa had chastised her for similar things. "You must stay on your toes and lower yourself."

They venture further into the woods. They come across a deer ten minutes later, and Luna taps her lightly on the shoulder. Clarek goes to move foward but Luna stops her. She steps forward slowly, on her toes, body low to the ground. She takes a knife from her boot, and walks forwards silently, unnoticed by the deer, eating grass, unbothered, mere meters ahead of them. With the flick of her wrist, the knife leaves Luna's hand and lands in the deers side with a dull thud. It falls the the ground, and Luna is already making her way to it, whispering " _Yu gonplei ste odon."_ as she goes. She pulls her knife from its chest, and then brings it up over its and then lets it fall into it head again, killing it. After holstering her weapon and hauling the dead animal over shoulders (she's stronger than Clarke thought), Luna and Clarke make their way back to the camp.

 

The group eat the deer happily by the fire. Luna sits on a log by herself, watching their surroundings. Clarke stands and walks over to where she sits, she gestures to the spot next to Luna. When she nods, she sits down next to the girl. They don't talk they just sit there quietly, enjoying the meal. When everyone begins to turn in for the night they both go their seperate ways. Clarke lays awake knowing she will not find sleep, thinking of Lexa.

_Maybe we do._

Her lips against Clarke's, soft, full and everything she imagined. Her hands on Clarke's face, calloused and battle-worn, but still perfect. Her eyes green and vulnerable.

_You were right... Life is about more than just survivng._

She hears cries, and they grow louder and louder, until they turn to screams. Clarke exits her tent, head whipping around frantically. Orion stands by Luna's tent, the source of the screams, his eyes trained ahead of him. He looks pained, like hearing her scream makes him feel physical pain. She runs toward the tent, as she goes to enter, he stops her.

"I'm not going to hurt her." Clarke glares at him. "Just let me through."

Clarke pretends like she doesn't know why she so desperatetly wants to stop her from crying, from hurting. Why she wants to pull her close and assure her eveything is alright. Why whenver she looks at Luna, Lexa's green eyes flash in her memories. 

When she goes to enter the tent again, Orion doesn't stop her. She finds Luna thrashing around in her furs, in a cold sweat, tears streaming down her face, eyes screwed shut.

"LEXA!" Luna screams. "Lexa! No!"

Clarke drops to her knees beside her, and tires to pin her arms to her side, to no avail. So instead she begins combing her fingers through Luna's blonde locks.

"Shh. Luna it's ok. Luna. Wake up. You're ok. Wake up." Clarke whispers soothingly in her ear. Luna whimpers in her sleep. "Please. Luna, wake up."

Luna jerks awake, and upon seeing Clarke, begins crawling backwards away from her. Clarke puts her hands out, in surrender.

"Luna it's ok. You just had a bad dream." Clarke assures her.

"What are you doing in here?!" She demands.

"I heard you screaming and i just wanted to make sure you were ok."

Luna visibly calms. She breathes in deeply and out again. She comes closer to Clarke again.

"I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologise for. I startled you." Luna nods, looking down at her hands. "You should go back to sleep. I'll go-''

"No!" Luna stops her, and then looks slightly embarrassed. "I mean- if- you-if you want- you can stay. Just for a while."

Clarke smiles at her and nods. Luna gets back under her furs and Clarke leans against the tent pole facing Luna. Clarke understands, she wants the comfort of another person, she is just too proud to ask.

"What was it like? In the sky?" Luna whispers. Clarke smiles, reminding herself once again that Luna really is only a curious child.

"The view was nice." She sighs. "When i was a little girl, I would sit looking out at the Earth for hours, wondering what it would be like. On the ground. Wells and I used to play games, and we would imagine the trees around us and the animals. It was very crowded. There was the constant hum of machinery. The air was stale and the food was awful. The first time I tasted real meat in Polis, I cried."

Luna chuckles slightly. Clarke takes this as a small victory.

"Why did it take you so long to send people to the ground?"

"When we went up in the Ark, 97 years ago, they told us the nuclear war resulted in the Earth being uninhabitable. We thought it would take at least another 100 years for us to be able to live here again."

Clarke tells her stories of the Ark, and space and everything she asks (which is a lot she really is a curious kid). They both fall asleep eventually. Clarke, leaning against the tent pole, has the first dreamless sleep she's had since Lexa's death.

The next night, after a day of riding, Orion does not stop Clarke from going to her when Luna wakes screaming.

...

Polis looks different than she remembers, even if it is from a distance. There is no light, no music can be heard from there distance, no noise at all. It looks dark and glum. Luna visibly tenses at the city. Clarke can just imagine all the memories flooding her mind. Clarke wants to reach out and take her hand, but knows Luna would not allow it. The playful guards Clarke has spent time with over the past few days have dissapeared, leaving in their place their fearless twins. Elias and Erika no longer bicker, they stand awaiting Luna's orders. The red-headed boy, who Clarke now knows is named River, stands with his hand on the hilt of his sword. Anna, the sandy haired woman, has her eyes trained on the city, focused. Orion stands by Luna's side, like he has for years. Luna turns to Clarke.

"How do we get in?"

"I know a way."

"How?"

"It's the same way i left."

 


	3. Chapter 3

She wracks her brain to remember the way through the tunnels Titus lead her through all those days ago. Clarke sets a fast pace, the others following closely behind. They weave through corner after corners, deep under the city. When they finally reach the entrance to Titus's lair, Clarke stops at the entrance.

"This will take us up to the city." Clarke says breathlessly, she turns to go up the stairs, but Luna grabs her arm.

"What's your plan? How are we going to get to Ontari in the tower?" Luna asks.

"I haven't thought of that yet." Clarke admits sheepishly.

"Clarke." Luna says warningly. Clarke doesn't listen, she bounds up the stairs and into the lair. It's just the way she left it, except their someone standing in the middle of the room. A familiar face, she could almost hug him. Murphy. But before she has the chance, Luna leaps forward and puts her knife to his throat, and bends his arm behind his back.

"No Luna stop!" Clarke yells. The others have drawn their weapons and stand ready to attack. "He's my friend. He's _skai kru_."

Luna lets him, and Murphy falls foward clutching his throat. His hair is as greasy and matted as ever, and he has a few new cuts and bruises on his face. Clarke can't help but wonder what has happened to him while she's been in gone.

"Murphy? Why are you still here? I thought you were going to Arkadia." Clarke asks. Murphy stands uo straight again, rubbing his arm.

"Plans changed Princess." Murphy drawls. "Ontari believes I am the last _fleimkipa._ I have become one of her most trusted advisors."

"You're on her side." Orion yells, bringing up his weapon once again.

"Cool it big guy. That's not what i said." Murphy rolls his eyes. "I'm just trying to stay alive. She's killed half of the ambassadors and she sent people looking for you Clarke, she's desperate for the flame."

Clarke turns away from them thinking. Luna turns to her, watching carefully.

"I have a plan." ...

Murphy pulls them along, the ropes tied loosely around their wrists. Not being able to see their surroundings makes Luna itch. She has walked these halls millions of times when she was a child. She can almost picture the elevator they stand in right now. It shudders to a stop at the top floor. When they reach the door to the throne room, the guards stop them.

" _Heda_ ordered me to fetch these prisoners." Murphy explains. Clarkes got to give it to him, his morals may be a bit screwed but he is a damn good liar. Without any more protest the guards let them through.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Ontari exclaims as they walk into the room.

"Only the prisoners you ordered of course." Murphy says as the 7 'prisoners' free themselves easily and draw their weapons. Elias and Erika are on the guards in seconds. They have them on their knees even quicker. Ontari stands there in shock, until she sees Clarke.

"Clarke Griffin." She growls, as she stalks forward. Luna surges forward tackling her to the ground.

"Get off me!" she bellows.

"Ontari of _azgeda_ , I challenge you for the title of _Heda._ Be in the town square by sundown, or the throne is mine." Luna stands and drags Ontari to the door, shoving her through and slamming it behind her. Luna sighs in relief and leans back against the heavy oak doors.

"Now we wait.

...

The group make their way through the tower and out on to the street. The people part, making a path for them. They find Ontari waiting, with Prince Roan by her side.

"This is not allowed!"

"Oh but it is." Clarke smirks. "Luna is a _nitblida._ It is her birthright to challenge you for the throne." The crowd cheer.

Ontari stares back at her dumb-founded. Clarke announces the fight to the crowd, and they murmur tensely. Ontari backs away, and storms off to her corner. Luna shakes out her limbs nervously. Clarke is beside herself with nerves. What if Luna dies. She can't help but be reminded by a similar moment to this, and by the look on Roan's face, he is reminded as well.

Before anyone can begin the fight, Ontari runs forward her sword held high above her head. Luna does not look startled. When Ontari brings her sword down, Luna simply dodges it, kicking Ontari as she runs past her. Ontari yells out in frustration and jabs at Luna. Luna blocks it. Ontari is ruthless with her onslaught. Luna is left only to defend, but she looks completely calm, and not at all out of breath. Ontari looks infuriated and slowly tiring. Luna spins, narrowly missing Ontari's sword. She slices Ontari across the back and she falls forward. It is the first offensive move Luna has made. The crowd cheer, and Clarke tries to stop shaking. Luna does not attck again, she waits for Ontari to rise again. Clarke feels like screaming at her to end it, but she doesn't. Ontari stands shakily and fights with more fury than before. Luna looks elegant and smooth as she ducks and dodges attack after attack. Ontari manages to cut Luna across the arm and Clarke winces, Luna on the other hand shows no pain. She only turns and hits Ontari over the face with the hilt o her sword. This time she does advance on Ontari. First kicking her legs out from under, then brings her sword up over her head and goes to strike her, but Ontari rolls away, knocking Luna in the process. Luna jumps back to her feet effortlessly, and now she looks mad. She charges at Ontari and she shows much more skill than Ontari has throughout the whole fight. Luna is fast and her strikes are strong. Ontari is tiring much quicker and It is clear to everyone Luna has won. Ontari has lost her sword and she desperately throws a punch at Luna's stomach. Luna stumbles back, and Ontari grabs her sword. Ontair punches her again in the stomach and goes to stab her but Luna hooks her leg around Ontari's and pulls back, and Ontari falls on her back with a loud _thump_ again. Luna stands over her. She spits the blood from her mouth at Ontari. She looks menacing with her mouth and nose covered with black blood, standing over Ontari with hatred in her eyes. She grabs the knife from her belt. It is clear Ontari will not get up. Just to be sure, Luna kicks down hard on Ontari's leg, bringing her knife down on it aswell. Ontari yells out. Luna pulls back her knife.

" _Yu gonplei ste odon."_ She whispers. She brings the knife down over Ontari's chest. The last thing Luna sees is the fear in Ontari's eyes. The crowd roars. Luna stands looking down over Ontari. Her chest heaves and she feels numb. She's blocked out the sounds of the crowd. It has been a long time since she has had to kill. Clarke runs to her.

"Luna? Luna!" Luna looks up at her. "You're _heda_ now." It's all she needs to say. It's not that Luna wasn't aware that she was now _heda._ It was simply a reminder that she cannot afford to let her guard down. Clarke knows and now it is time to teach Luna. So Luna stands tall and turns stoic. She faces the crowd. She raises her hand, and the sounds die instantly.

" _Ontari is dead. She was an abomonation to everything the commander stands for. She was poison in our blood line."_ Luna yells to the crowd. Her voice is powerful and demands attention. The crowd listen with batted breath, hanging on to every word. " _We do not have to fear her anymore. I vow to protect my people with every ounce of my being, until my dying breath."_

The crowd erupt into cheers again. They begin to chant. " _HEDA! HEDA! HEDA!_ " Luna circles the square, watching her people. Clarke sees it now. This where she belongs.

...

Luna sits in her throne, red sash gathering on the floor, her cog mark shinging slightly from the light, her hands on both of the arm rests. She looks positively radiant. It's been 24 hours since Luna's ascension. All the remaining ambassadors gather in the throne room for Luna's first meeting since she became _Heda._

 _"_ _Thank you for joining me, Ambassadors. I have called you here today to address some important matters."_ She nods respectfully to them.

Clarke stands by Luna's side. Luna will refuse to admit, but she finds Clarke's presence a comfort. Clarke has the ability to crumble every wall she has ever put up and make her feel. It scares her, but she needs Clarke, she knows she does.

" _My first order as Heda. I would like a search organised. A representative will travel to every village, and search for nitblidas. The next generation of nitblidas need to be brought to Polis and trained."_

 _"Sha Heda."_ The ambassadors chorus.

Luna had spoken to Clarke late into the night about her plans for the meeting the next day. She had gone over every argument over and over again, until she was convinced it was perfect. Now as Clarke looks at her, she sees no sign of nervousness, only power and complete confidence.

" _Next, Azgeda. Prince Roan has been improsined and his fate is to be decided."_ Luna informs them " _Now for the important issue that needs to be dealt with immediately. Who will lead the Azgeda? I have chosen one of my loyal followers to lead the Azgeda under my command."_

Luna has barely finished speaking before one of the ambassadors step forward.

" _Heda I would be honoured to lead the Azgeda."_

Luna feels a sharp, intense pain at the back of her neck, where the flame was inserted into her. It feels like white, hot anger and it makes her want to punch something. Or more specifically the man in front of her. She has no idea what is happening, and she tries to hide her confusion. Clarke eyes her carefully. No one else in the room notices.

" _No_." she says more coldly than she intended. " _I have chosen my most loyal guard, Anna_." Anna steps forward and bows before Luna's throne.

" _Heda, i promise to lead Azgeda, to repair the bonds that have been broken between the Azgeda and the other 11 clans."_

When Luna had told her of her plan to appoint Anna as Azgeda representative, Clarke had been confused. That was until Luna explained that Anna was born _Azgeda_. Her family had disagreed with the Ice Queens ways, so they were shunned. They were offered shelter in the Boat Clan, and Anna vowed to return to _Azgeda_ and undo the evil that had been done.

 _"Mochof Anna."_ Anna nods, then stands and takes her place at the _Azgeda_ ambassadors chair. She seems to sit up straighter and there is a glint of pride in her eyes. Clarke reminds herself to praise Luna for her decision, Anna will do well.

" _Lastly,"_ Clarke's head whips around, back to Luna. They had not discussed a third issue. " _I appoint Klark kom skai kru, the last fleimkipa, as my  advisor and trainer of the nitblidas."_

" _She is skai kru!"_ One ambassador exclaims. Luna stands from her seat, her jaw set, her brown eyes dangerously dark.

" _Ambassador, do you question me!?"_ Luna yells.

 _"No heda."_ He backs down, lowering his head in shame. Luna sits once again.

" _What of the skai kru Heda?"_ The River clan ambassador questions.

" _When the time is right, the skai kru will be invited into the coalition once again. If they prove themselves. We will not allow rejection again."_

...

Clarke had asked Luna to allow her a different room to her previous room in Polis. Luna did not have to ask why. But to Clarke's surprise, she gave her the room directly opposite her own. Clarke had been unsure what this meant, but did not bring it up with the girl. Clarke finds herself simply sitting on her bed, not sleeping like the rest of the city, but just sitting. She cannot sleep, and she will not try. Today has been stressful and she wants nothing more than to lie down and sleep the stress away. But she cannot. She will dream of Lexa and the black stain that grew over her stomach as she fell, and her last words to Clarke.

It isn't long before the screaming begins. It always does every night. It had happened the night of Luna's ascension, and it lead to a night of conversation about Luna's plan for the meeting. Clarke was almost hoping for it to happen. She wanted to go to Luna. So she did. She walked from her room across to Luna's. The guards do not stop her when she enters Luna's room. She goes to the bed where Luna thrashes around. She grabs her, holding her still and strokes her hair, running her fingers soothingly through her blonde waves.

"Luna, wake up. Shhh. It's ok. Wake up Luna." Clarke whispers. Luna wakes with a start, gasping for breath.

"Clarke!" She calls out. Clarke shushes her.

"I'm right here." Clarke assures her. "You're ok."

Once Luna's breathing has gone back to normal, Clarke slides into the bed.

"I get them too." She tells her. Luna looks up at her.

"About her?" Clarke nods. Luna changes the subject.

"Was it scary? Coming to the ground, not knowing anything about it?"

"We were taught Earth Skills on the Ark our whole lives, but it was useless. It was nothing we expected. The animals, the plants, the weather, it was unpredictable and dangerous, but so so beautiful. " Clarke tells her. Luna listens happily to Clarke talk. It soothes her. "I was so scared. We all were. But we sure as hell weren't expecting there to be other people. We fought for a long time, and lots of people died. We haven't had a single day of peace on the ground."

"I'm going to bring peace." Luna tells her. Clarke smiles.

"You will." Clarke agrees.

"Tell me about when you met her." Luna requests. Clarke's heart clenches in her chest.

"Lexa?" Luna nods from where her head lies on the pillow.

"I was trying to negotiate peace between the _skai kru_ and the _tri kru,_ but one of my people killed 18 people in Ton DC, believing they held _skai kru_ prisoners." Clarke leaves out the fact Finn had been looking for her more for her own sake than anything. "As you can imagine, it complicated negotiations a bit." Luna chuckles lightly. "Lexa sent messengers to Arkadia to tell us if we did not leave they would kill us all."

"Always so dramatic." Luna mutters. Clarke laughs.

"So i met with her. She looked so intimidating sitting in her throne, twirling her knife. I was so scared, but I had to pretend i wasn't. She said something along the lines of 'you're the one who killed three hundred of my men.'" Clarke pretends as if she doesn't remember every word. "I told her 'You're the one who sent them there to kill us.'"

"She talks to me." Luna blurts out. Clarke freezes.

"What do you mean?" Clarke asks, wary.

"I'm not crazy." Luna brown eyes are filled with tears.  

"I know you're not Luna."

"Since you put the flame in my neck, she talks to me sometimes in my head. It's her voice and sometimes, like today in the meeting, when she gets mad, there's like a pain in my neck." Luna doesn't tell her about the warm feeling that runs all the way down her spine when Clarke is in her presence.

"Is she there now?" Clarke thinks she might cry. Either Luna is so wrecked with grief that she is imagining Lexa's voice. Or Lexa really is in Luna's head. Luna nods.

"She's always there." Luna whispers. "You believe me don't you." A tear rolls down her cheek, and Clarke wipes it away, stroking Luna's face.

"I believe you." She pulls Luna into her, and she buries her head in Clarke's neck. Clarke yearns to ask her about it. To see if Lexa really is there. To ask her something. To get Luna to tell her more. But she can't, Luna is scared and vulnerable. She promised herself she would look after Luna. So she lies with Luna as she cries, until she falls asleep. Clarke lay awake all night. She thinks about what Luna told her and the possibilities and how this could happen.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think.  
> You can find me on tumblr at clarkes-commander100


End file.
